


Steven Universe Farther Into The Future ep 14: Beachapalooza Brawl

by LMasterm1nd



Series: Steven Universe Farther into the Future [16]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Aliens, Best Friends, Concerts, F/F, F/M, Family Reunions, Flashbacks, Job Interviews, Narcissism, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Punk Rock, Rock and Roll, Self-Discovery, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23917117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMasterm1nd/pseuds/LMasterm1nd
Summary: Beachapalooza is tonight, there may be a few uninvited guests and even a special surprise guest performance.
Relationships: Amethyst & Garnet & Pearl & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Lars Barriga & Emerald, Lars Barriga & Off Colors, Mystery Girl/Pearl (Steven Universe)
Series: Steven Universe Farther into the Future [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607287
Kudos: 7





	1. Continued from Scattered Petals

Pearl noticed a familiar pink aura coming from the lighthouse. "Steven!" Pearl shouted, running up the hill. On the way up she noticed oddly shaped footprints in the opposite direction of her. When she got to the lighthouse, she noticed Steven huddled in the corner, sniffling. "Steven, oh my stars! are you alright!?' Pearl exclaimed, rushing towards his side. "No...he was right there...I almost had him, he got away!" Steven cried. "Is this the bug guy who beat up Rose?" Pearl asked. "Yes..." Steven said, holding back his tears. "Oh, Steven..." Pearl said, giving him a consoling hug "come on, let's get you home, is Connie home today?" "Yeah, but her mother's visiting today, I don't want to ruin that" Steven answered. "Steven, you need help, come on, let's get you off the floor" Pearl insisted "you know what happened the last time you refused help." Pearl bought Steven up off the floor and escorted him home

Over the past few years, Steven had been able to manage his trauma, but once in a while, it does relapse, most relapses are small, ones as big as this one however, are rare but they do happen. The last time Steven had a relapse this big was twelve years ago. Back than, unlike the current one he was having, this one had no trigger.

* * *

*Twelve years ago*

A seven year old Rose Universe got out of her bed in the middle of the night when she saw a pink light go by her door. She opened her door, quietly, not wanting to make a creek. She saw that her Aunts Amethyst and Garnet, and her mother surrounding something glowing pink. Rose rushed into her little brother's room as soon as she was sure everyone else got downstairs. "Piers, Piers" Rose whispered. "Wose....whut happin..?" Her then four year old brother answered groggily. "Come on, Mom and Aunt Amethyst and Garnet took something shiny downstairs" Rose said. "But it past bedtime" Piers said. "Come on, don't you want to see something cool?" Rose said. Rose lead her reluctant brother down the stairs. 

The siblings soon saw that the shiny thing that their mother and aunts were surrounding was their own father, who appeared to be glowing pink. They all appeared to be comforting him. "Daddy!?" Rose said aloud. Garnet, Amethyst and Connie all gasped when they realized the kids were awake. "Kids! I-It's alright, go back to sleep, we have this under control" Connie said, trying to be comforting, not wanting the kids to worry. "Why is Daddy glowing pink?" Rose asked "Oh no! Is he dying!? He's dying isn't he!?" "Wh-what!? No!" Connie said "that's not it at-" "Daddy's dying!?" Piers exclaimed, with tears pouring out of his eyes. Piers started bawling and rushed towards his father, leaping up to his lap and hugged him "No Daddy, no die, no!" Piers cried. "No, no, no, son, I'm not dying" Steven said, hugging his son back. Steven's pink aura had started to fade away until he stopped glowing altogether "come on Piers, look at me, see? It's okay, I'm okay." 

Piers had stopped bawling but was still sniffling. "Why was Daddy glowing pink, Mommy?" Rose asked. "He just had a really bad nightmare, that's all" Connie said. "Grown-ups can have nightmares too?" Rose asked. "Yes, grown-ups have nightmares too, your father's however, are a little bit different than normal ones, you see, the things he has nightmares about, are things that really happened to him or around him and sometimes they come back to scare him" Connie explained. "Yeah, you see Piers, I'm not going anywhere, this is normal for me...I wish it wasn't, but that's just how things are, now go back to bed you two, it's way past your bedtime" Steven said.

* * *

"So, Steven's out looking for this "Bug Guy" as Rose puts it?" Priyanka asked. "Yeah, he's like obsessed with him, I know it's because he's upset that this creature beat up Rose, but Steven's gone all Captain Ahab over this...I'm telling you, I'm worried about...Oh my god!" exclaimed Connie, noticing Pearl bringing in the glowing pink Steven. "Steven, what happened?!" Connie asked. "I found him, he got away, It was just like Rose said, he knew what was about to do, the instant before I did it" Steven said "he got away, he beat up my daughter and he got away with it, I'm a horrible father..." 

"Steven, that's not true" said Connie, not knowing what else to say. "But...I...." Steven stammered. "Steven, listen to your wife, you are not a bad father" Priyanka added "I'll admit it, when Connie was pregnant for the first time, I had my doubts about you as a parent, but the footage I got from the nanny cams I secretly placed in your home have proven me wrong." "You mean it?" Steven asked. "Yes, I don't think you could find a better father for your children even if you tried" Priyanka said assuredly. "Wait, you put what in our home?" Connie asked. 

"Wow, thanks Priyanka, that means a lot coming from you" Steven said. "You're welcome, now please just stop looking for that bug person, being a good parent is about being there for your children when they need you, not avenging them" Priyanka said. "Alright, I'll stop, but if I still won't forgive that overgrown cockroach" Steven said, no longer glowing. "No, seriously, am I the only one who heard all that nanny cam, talk?" Connie said.

* * *

In the skies above Beach City, Bloodrose Brigade members, Junior and Robyne had met up with each other. "Thanks for the save, last night" Junior said. "Think nothing of it, kid, we're a team after all, we protect each other's backs" Robyne said. "I still forget how impressive your aim is" Junior said "sorry I lost sight of the captain..." "It's not your fault, he probably noticed that you were following him, but where did you see him last?" Robyne asked. "He was leaving an abandoned gem kindergarten, from the looks of the holes there, it was one for quartz soldiers" Junior answered. "Maybe there's a pattern as to which locations he's visiting, remember the places where he did go and think about it" Robyne said "he shouldn't be left alone on this planet

Elsewhere in an abandoned gem ship, Captain Bloodrose was looking in every room of the ship, smashing machinery in frustration. "Where are you!?" He snarled "She couldn't have already met with them, could she? No, it's too early in the year for that...I'll find you...one way or another..."

End of chapter 


	2. A Possible Career Path For Rose

"Well, I need to get going, I have an interview to conduct with my job shadow for next week" Priyanka said. "Oh yeah, I forgot Rose's girlfriend was job shadowing with you" Steven commented. "Oh my gosh, she's that Selena? Well, that's going to make things easier" Priyanka answered "I remember meeting her at Rose's birthday party, she was very interested in my work." Connie and Steven gave a goodbye to Priyanka as she left the Beach House.

Steven phone had started buzzing. "Oh crud! That's today!? I almost forgot!" Steven exclaimed. "Forgot what?" Connie asked. "Oh, my old bandmates are in town and want to meet for coffee today" Steven explained. "Oh, really? That's great, wait...he isn't going to be there is he?" Connie inquired. "Oh, god, no, William's not coming, everyone hated Johnny's replacement, remember?" Steven said. "Alright, good, that guy is the last thing you need" Connie said. "Ugh, tell me about it" Steven agreed.

* * *

Rose had arrived at the Community Theater where she was set to job shadow the manager, Jamie. Jamie had known Rose before, he had once delivered her father's mail when her father was a kid. "Well Rose, I gotta say, the school's timing with their job shadowing program couldn't be better" Jamie said "we'll be holding auditions for our next play once your term with me starts." "Oh wow, really? What play are you doing?" Rose asked. "A timeless classic, The Sorcerer of Od" Jamie said, holding up a mock-up poster for the play. "Oh my gosh, that was, no, still is my favorite movie of all time!" Rose responded "When I was little, I always dreamed of going on a journey with a bunch of weird and unique friends because of that movie!" "Well, maybe you should audition" Jamie suggested. "I, er, what?" Rose said. "What you had said about "The Sorcerer of Od" you said with such passion, so much so that I think you'd do well in an audition." "But, I've never acted before..." Rose said. "This is community theater, we welcome first timers" Jamie explained "look, I did kind of put you on the spot there, It's okay to be a little nervous." "Aren't I your job shadow?" Rose asked. "Don't worry about that, there's no rule saying theater employees can't audition, look, just take some time to think it over, there's nothing wrong with trying something new." Jamie said assuredly

Rose didn't know what to say, Rose had never thought of herself as an actress, it's not that she didn't want to, it was just that she had butterflies in her stomach. Rose than remembered her girlfriend's mother used to be an actress before becoming a movie producer. Then it hit her, go ask her for advice, it'd be better to ask someone who's familiar with the craft for advice on this possible career path. 

Rose knocked on the door of Mrs. Reel's house. "Well, Rosie, darling, what brings you here? Selena's with your grandmother right now" Mrs. Reel answered. "Well, actually I was hoping to speak to you, you were an actress before you a producer right?" Rose asked. Mrs. Reel went silent for a moment "Come inside, dear" Mrs. Reel said. Rose sat in the living room with Mrs. Reel. "You want to be an actress and you're going to ask me for advice, aren't you?" Mrs. Reel asked. "Wait, how did you know?" Rose asked. "Sweetie, I've read through hundreds of scripts in my lifetime to know you were trying to build up to that question" Mrs. Reel said "I must say, this is a sudden decision, what made you want to be an actress?" "Well, I haven't decided yet, it's just that in my interview with the Community Theater manager suggested I'd audition and it's not that I don't want to...It's just that I'm not sure if I should" Rose asked "and I figured I'd ask you."

"Well, I can say that you're making smarter decisions than me when I was your age" Mrs. Reel said "I had always wanted to be a movie star, ever since I was little, and when I became your age, I dropped out of high school and went straight to Movieland, but I suggest you don't do that." "Why not, it worked out for you" Rose asked. "Only by sheer dumb luck, you see, under the glitz and glamour, Movieland has its ugly side, so many aspiring actors and actresses go there in search of fame and glory, and those people get taken advantage of" Mrs. Reel explained "I got to where I am today by doing things I wasn't too proud of...but don't let that deter you from becoming an actress, you said you were auditioning for community theater right?" "Yeah?" "That's one of the things I should have done, you have an opportunity to gain experience" Mrs. Reel said "and trust me, that'll take you a long way, who knows you might be on Empire City Stageway one day, or if you become interested in on-screen acting, I know a few people who could help you out"

"Wow, thanks, I think I'll stick to the stage for now, but it's good to know you know some trustworthy people in Movieland" Rose said. "I didn't say they were trustworthy, I just said they could help you out, nobody in Movieland is trustworthy" Mrs. Reel said. "Hmm...maybe I was just being nervous, and I'm not really risking anything" Rose said "okay, I'll do it!"

* * *

Piers was with Alice and the gang at Fish-Stu Pizza. "So, I've been thinking about it and...I want to perform at Beachapalooza tonight" Alice said. "Not a bad Idea" One of Piers's friends said. "Yeah, I'm down with that" Piers said. "Really? You're not going to laugh?" Alice said. "There's not really much to ask, it's an open mic night" Piers said "do you have anything in mind you want to perform?" "Well there was one thing I had in mind, but ever since that Heliotrope incident..." Alice began. "If you want to fuse that's fine" Piers said. "Huh? It's really okay?" Alice asked. "Yeah, as long as it's with someone I can trust, I'll be fine" Piers said "but I gotta warn you, both my fusions can be...full of themselves...when I first fused I thought it was Joshua, but it was me...do you think I might be a narcissist?" "Probably, but you're the nicest narcissist I know" Alice joked.

"Hey, isn't that your dad right there?" Piers and Alice's friend pointed out. Piers turned and saw his dad, sitting at a table with three other people, and it looked as though they were laughing. "So yer kid found our platinum album?" Xander said. "Yeah, he honestly thought I was trying to hide it" Steven answered. "Well, our fame was short lived after all" Johnny said "but at least we left with little controversy." "Hey, remember when we first performed "I Am My Monster" live?" Iris asked. "Oh, yeah, I totally destroyed the stage, didn't I?" Steven said, laughing nervously. "Well, don't worry Steven, what happened that day is still between all of us, all our fans know is that there was just a pyrotechnics and hologram incident" Xander said. "I don't know, I occasionally look on message boards made by our fans and they theorize that my magic was real" Steven said "I mean, it is, but still." "But you're still on for tonight, right?" Xander asked. "Oh, yeah, I'm still in" Steven said.

end of chapter 


	3. Special Guest Performance

In Alice's garage, Alice and Piers were practicing for Beachapalooza. "Wow, are you sure you've never played guitar before?" Alice asked. "Yeah, I guess I get it from my dad I guess" Piers said. "Back at the Pizza Place, those people your dad was with, they feel so familiar" Alice commented. "Wait, I think I recognize them" Piers said "Blade Palace, remember? My dad's band!" "You don't think they'll be performing tonight do you?" Alice asked. "If they do, it'll be one tough act to follow, a lot of the songs in that album of theirs were pretty good" Piers commented.

"Say, are you sure your dad is okay with us using his garage like this?" Piers asked. "Oh please, I don't think my dad even knows we even have a garage, he's in the basement for most of the day" Alice said "heck, we could do anything in here and it wouldn't even phase him, and I do mean anything." Piers blushed at that. "Ha! Gotcha!" Alice said "you should have seen the look on your face!" 

Meanwhile in the skies above Beach City, Bloodrose Brigade members Junior and Robyne spotted a purple spot in the ocean. The flew down just a few inches above the ocean's surface "Plasm, is that you?" Robyne asked. "Yeah, I forgot I was liquid while transforming again...how much of this planet is water again?" Plasm's mouth responded. "About seventy one percent of it" Junior answered. "Oh darn it, it's going to be a couple of hours before I can reassemble all my cells" Plasm's mouth moaned. 

"Have either of your eyes seen the captain?" Robyne asked. "Actually, yeah...he was heading northwest from...wherever my right eye is...I can't give you a more specific location...I'm looking right at the sky over there" Plasm's Mouth said. "Well, good luck reassembling yourself" Junior said "we'll let you know if we see any parts of you in the ocean."

* * *

Faraway on an island with ruined crystal towers, Captain Bloodrose stood there, motionless. "Not here either!? Where are you!?" Captain Bloodrose shouted "Could it be that you're onto me!? Well, don't think that you can hide from me forever, I'm onto you as well, I know everywhere you've been and everywhere you're going to be, mark my words!" Captain Bloodrose than pressed a button on his glove and mini-rockets came out of his belt, as he took off back towards American shores. 

"Wherever you are on this planet, I will find you, and I will not make the same mistakes I made in the past, you can count on it!" Captain Bloodrose proclaimed. 

* * *

It was now sundown on Beach City, and Beachapalooza had started. Rose had come with Selena. "Are you sure about this, Babe?" Selena asked "I know your brother will be performing and all but it is pretty crowded." "As long as I sit on the edge seat, I'll be fine" Rose said. "Oh, girls, over here!" Connie shouted "I figured you'd come by, so I saved you two seats!" "Oh wow, thanks mom!" Rose said. The girls took a seat next to Connie as Mr. Smiley got up on stage. "Good evening Beach City, tonight we have surprise special guests doing an opening for tonight!" Mr. Smiley announced "Those of you over thirty might remember them, here they are a blast from the past...Blade Palace!" "What!?" Connie excitedly exclaimed. 

The stage went dark, and all of the sudden, a skinny, shirtless, long haired man with a crown showed up "Greetings, they call me the king, and here is my court...The Princess" A woman wearing a tiara gave a wink to the crowd "The knight" A man in a wheelchair in front of a drum set put on a medieval helmet "and returning from his long recluse in the underworld..." suddenly an eerie pink glow lit up on stage right "The wizard!" A tall robed and hooded figure walked onto the stage, the pink light had been coming from beneath the hood, the figure than removed the cloak, revealing a pink glowing man, wearing black eye liner, a man that Rose recognized as "Dad!?"

"Yes, I have returned, foolish mortals!" Steven announced in a deep menacing voice. Connie stood up squealing in excitement, jumping up and down like a crazed fangirl. Connie paused and noticed the girls were looking at her funny. "What? A wife can't be supportive to her husband?" Connie said. Blade Palace capped off Beachapalooza by playing one their most popular songs, a few fans were disappointed that they weren't playing their biggest hit, "I Am My Monster", but were otherwise entertained by the surprise performance. After Steven's band left the stage, Connie picked up her phone "Steven, whatever you do, don't you dare take off the stage makeup, and go straight to our room as soon as you get home" she whispered.

"Hey, Mrs. Universe, wasn't Mr. Universe glowing pink? Isn't that usually when he's not feeling well?" Selena asked. "Not when it's that hue, you see, Steven has a different hue when he's feeling distressed, they might look the same to the untrained eye but trust me, this was a voluntary glow" Connie explained. "I guess I should probably look out for that with Rose" Selena wondered. "Oh, no, trust me, Steven only has his pink panic attacks because he went through a lot in his late childhood" Connie explained "I mean, yes there was that moment from when Rose was little but, Steven had been through moments where he had almost died."

"Next up" Mr. Smiley announced "We have Piers Universe and Alice Fryman with a special performance, although I don't know how they're going to top our opening number." Piers and Alice went up on stage. Before they could say anything however screams from the audience could be heard, and they weren't cheers of excitement. A few Peridots who were visiting earth were being attacked by Junior and Robyne of the Bloodrose Brigade. 

"Stay still!" Junior proclaimed, blasting fire balls at the Peridots. The crowd got away from the commotion. Lion showed up out of a portal and gave Connie her sword. "Good boy, Lion!" Connie said, accepting the sword. "Robyne, Interference at three o'clock!" Junior called out. Robyne noticed Connie approaching with her sword. "A quick paralysis shot should take care of her" Robyne said, shooting a yellow laser at her. Connie got struck by the laser, falling to the ground. "Mom!" Rose shouted. Rose lifted up her mother. "Lion! Take her home!" Rose called out. Connie put Connie on Lion, as Lion warped off. 

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" Piers said over the microphone "You think I'm going to let you hurt my mom like that and hurt innocent gems!? I don't think so!" Piers took out his shield. "Sorry about this, kid" Robyne said as she shot at Piers. Alice noticed the shot being fired, Alice quickly jumped towards Piers, trying to push him out of the way. There was a big flash. "You'd even kill a kid!? What's wrong with you!" A human audience member said. "I didn't kill him, I merely paralyzed him, he'll be back to normal in fifteen minutes, now let us get back to work and get rid of the peridots if you don't want the same thing!" Robyne responded. The Peridots cowered in fear.

"Me, paralyzed?" A voice from the stage said "who decided that? and what makes you think you could touch me with such unworthy projectiles!" On the stage where Piers and Alice had been was a tall person, they had long blond hair with a black mohawk. Steven than rushed on stage "What's all the commotion!?" Steven shouted. "Don't worry, Mr. Dad, I got this!" The new fusion said "Nobody ruins my act and gets away with it!"

End of chapter 


	4. The Titular Brawl

"Don't worry, Mr. Dad, I got this" The New Fusion said. Steven than recognized that this was a fusion of his son and his girlfriend. "Alright, go get em, kids!" Steven said. Steven felt happy for his son, he was no longer afraid of fusing and he had fused with Alice. Steven decided to help evacuate the civilians, he didn't want anybody getting hurt.

"Just who are you!?" Robyne demanded. The New Fusion laughed, as they took off both their shirts and picked up their guitar, they strummed the guitar once, making massive airwaves which overwhelmed Robyne and Junior, making them lose their footing in the air. " _My Name Is Pierlice, thanks a lot_ " They sang " _You're about to find out what I've got, you've never seen the likes of me, why, I'm the biggest thing since era three!_ " Robyne fired her weapon at Pierlice who dodged nimbly. "I-I'm missing!? That's impossible, I don't miss!" Robyne said. "As if I'd allow your unworthy projectiles to strike me!" Pierilice called back.

Junior blasted a fire ball at them, they simply struck the fire ball with their guitar like a baseball, sending it right back at him. " _My name is Pierlice and I'm of fire, I am the match, I am the pyre, I'm the voodoo taboo fusion priest, why, I'm the greatest thing since era three!_ " They sang. "What the!? My fire can melt boulders!" Junior exclaimed in horror. Junior flew forward with his claws ready. Junior slashed Pierlice on the chest, leaving big claw marks on their chest. Pierlice clenched their muscles, causing a pink glow around their body to appear, the claw marks sealed up like they were never there before. "You're very lucky I have healing powers, otherwise I'd be pretty mad at you for marking my precious body" Pierlice bragged.

"What are you, some kind of narcissist?" Junior said. "Hey now, narcissism is such an ugly word, and I am not ugly, so I must not be a narcissist, surely even the likes of you cannot deny such logic?" Pierlice boasted. "What kind of logic is that!?" Junior exclaimed. "You wouldn't get it" Pierlice said. Pierlice than rushed forward and they and Junior engaged in a midair battle.

While that was happening Steven decided to take on Robyne. "So, you must be Steven Universe, I must say you're nothing like I've heard" Robyne said "Tho'rax was right, something is off with Earth." "I don't know what you mean by that, but I'm not letting you hurt innocent people or gems on this planet!" Steven said. "Jeez, we're just poofing them, we never take lives unless absolutely necessary" Robyne explained. "That doesn't excuse what you're doing to them, gems can still feel pain!" Steven argued. "We understand that, but there is a gem on this planet we must take care of, we are trying to help you, believe us!" Robyne said.

"You keep saying that, but you beat up my daughter, you hurt innocent gems, how exactly are you helping me!?" Steven demanded. "You have a daughter? The captain never told us that!" Robyne said. "Well, maybe your captain is out of date" Steven said. "But, that's impossible, our captain is..." Robyne "No, I cannot say...I must leave."

Meanwhile in the air, Pierlice and Junior were nowhere near Beachapalooza anymore, they were more near the amusement park's skies. Junior spat multiple fire balls at Pierlice who dodged each and every one. Pierlice swooped in closer every once in a while, getting a good hit in. Junior too got in a few good hits in once in a while. "As much as it pains me to admit, you're fighting is quite adequate" Pierlice said. "Yeah, you're not too bad yourself, when you're not bragging about yourself every five minutes" Junior said. "Let's finish this" Pierlice said. "You're on!" Junior replied.

Just than Robyne came up between them. "Junior, we're leaving!" Robyne said. "What, why?" Junior said. "There's something off with what we were told about this planet" Robyne said. "We'll finish this some other time" Junior said to Pierlice. Pierlice watched them leave, he descended towards the ground left the Amusment park and than unfused. 

"Wow, that was fusion? That was totally wicked!" Alice said. Piers said nothing and instead stared. "Uh, Piers, you alright? and why are you blushing?" Alice asked. "We...uh...took off our shirts when we fused" Piers said. Alice looked down, shrieked in embarrassment, covering herself. "There're some bushes over there" Piers said "you go hide in them and I'll go find our shirts!" Piers said. "Th-thank you" Alice said, rushing into the bushes.

Back at the now abandoned stage, Steven noticed the familiar light of the Sun Incinerator. "Lars! He must be here to check up on Darla, Hopefully they can help us with this situation too"

End of Chapter 


	5. Lars Returns

"Lars! Hey Lars!" Steven called out. "Steven, long time no see!" Lars answered. Lars looked around and saw the damaged chairs and stage. "Wow, what happened here?" Lars asked. "We were attacked" Steven said. "What!? By who? Are they still here!?" Lars asked. "We were attacked by a bunch of yahoos called The Bloodrose... something..." Steven said. "The Bloodrose Brigade attacked you? seriously? Those guys are heroes, they don't attack people" Lars said. "Seriously, they're heroes!?" Steven exclaimed. "Oh yeah, they helped us back when we were raiding Yellow Diamond's Asteroid Mines" One of the Rutile Twins said. Steven was in disbelief from what he was hearing. The Bloodrose Brigade, heroes!? The same Bloodrose Brigade who ruined Beachapalooza, the same Bloodrose Brigade that beat up his daughter and got away with it.

"So, anyway, how's Darla doing?" Lars asked. "Oh, yeah, she's doing fine, her and your parents are getting along fine" Steven said. "Captain Lars, Steven is here to greet us!" Padparadscha proclaimed. "Thanks Padparadscha" Everyone said. "Oh yeah, she also has a friend her age now, yesterday she went on a play date with Joshua's daughter" Steven said. "Joshua? Is he the guy who looks like Pearl? He looks kind of young to be a father" Lars commented. "Well, technically he adopted her, she's an alien, and she's as big as a human adult" Steven said "just the other day when I was visiting them, I saw Darla and Joshua's girl Margaret, teaming up to steal cookies from your parents' cookie jar." Lars and the Off Colors started laughing. "That sounds like Darla" Rhodonite said. "She's definitely my daughter, no questions asked" Lars added.

"So, what's with the makeup? You look like Sadie during her Sadie Killer phase" Lars asked. "Oh yeah, I was in a heavy metal band for a while and tonight we did a one night only reunion opening for Beachapalooza" Steven explained. "You, in a heavy metal band? Now that I would pay to see" Lars commented. "We do have a few music videos online" Steven said "and I could give you a digital copy of one of our albums, physical versions are super rare to come by, even with re-releases." "I'll be sure to check it out, still though, never thought you'd be hardcore enough to be in a metal band" Lars said.

* * *

At Mr. and Mrs. Barriga's house, a knocking could be heard at the door. "Who could it be at this hour?" Mr. Barriga said. He opened the door and saw Lars. "Lars? Oh my goodness, it's wonderful to see you again!" Mr. Barriga said, giving his son a hug. "It's great to be back, dad" Lars said "So, how's Darla?" "Oh, she's asleep right now, but she'll be in for a pleasant surprise when she wakes up" Mr. Barriga said. "I'm glad to hear she's doing well, I missed her, but I knew I did the right thing when I sent her to live with you" Lars said. "We'll we've been glad to have her, she's really livened up the place since she moved in" Mr. Barriga said.

Steven returned home, happy to see Lars reunite with his family yet again. Connie gave him a hug when he got home. Whenever he has a relapse, Connie gives him hugs periodically throughout the day after the relapse ends, just to make sure it doesn't happen again. "Connie, are you alright? I heard about what happened" Steven asked. "Yeah, I couldn't move for an hour or so but I'm fine now" Connie said "and I'm glad you kept on your stage makeup..." "Really? You still want to? Even after what happened to you?" Steven asked. "Oh yeah, I feel so pent up after being paralyzed, so, you, me, bedroom, now" Connie demanded. "I am not getting any sleep tonight, and I don't mind one bit" Steven commented.

Later that morning, Steven woke up around eleven. He decided to make himself an omelette which served as both his breakfast and lunch. "Hey dad, can I ask you something?" Rose asked. "Sure, what's up, buttercup?" Steven answered. "Well, last night at Beachapalooza, I didn't know you were in a heavy metal band, and you were so different on stage than you are normally, why is that?" Rose asked. "Oh, you mean my on stage persona, "The Wizard"? That's just a show for the crowd" Steven explained. "So, basically you were acting?" Rose asked. "Yeah, pretty much" Steven said. 

"So you're not just a musician but an actor as well" Rose commented. "Well, I never thought of it that way but, yeah, I guess I was an actor, I mean, I was in a show with Jamie before" Steven said "not to mention that one time I was an underground wrestler when I was a kid and I acted mean." "Thanks Dad, you were a big help" Rose said, giving her dad a kiss on the cheek. "Aw, I didn't do much" Steven said humbly. Rose happily skipped off to her room. "No, seriously, I have no idea what I did that helped you" Steven called out. "Connie, did I do something right without even knowing it?" Steven asked. "Well, whatever you did, she's clearly grateful, you still feel like a bad father now?" Connie responded. "No, I guess not" Steven said. "And thank you for last night, just what I needed" Connie commented. Steven said nothing but bashfully blushed at that.

Rose sat in her room, and took out her cellphone. She had still felt unsure about whether or not to audition, but hearing that her father too, performed on stage as an actor gave Rose the final boost of confidence she needed. She picked up her phone and began dialing a number.

"Hey, Mr. Jamie, It's Rose, I just wanted to ask, what time do auditions start at?" 


End file.
